Some Singaporeans worry that returning to Singapore means coming home for good. If this is your concern, my advice is to take it one step at a time. The future is never certain; it is hard to predict what opportunities may come your way, or how your plans may change. Do what is right for your current circumstance and see how things pan out over the next one or two years. Indeed, we have had some candidates who returned to Singapore during the pandemic go abroad again once the situation overseas stabilised. 

Others are concerned about difficulties in adjusting to the work culture in Singapore, particularly if they’ve been in a Western environment for a long time. These worries are not unfounded, but flexible work arrangements are becoming more prevalent in Singapore – certainly among tech companies – since the onset of the pandemic. 

Many large corporations have fully adopted hybrid or remote work, and work flexibility is highly encouraged by the government. Notably, it has become a standard requirement among employees, with some even resigning when their company reverts to a complete return to office. 

One possible way of mitigating this apprehension is to join a global firm in Singapore rather than jumping straight into a local company where the culture may be less familiar. That said, it is important to assess a company’s culture based on the interaction and information gathered during the interview process as there are startups that value flexibility as much as the MNCs.